The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1887-03-18
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into which the farmer often falls. His
grea. eagerness in striving to be rich, is
doubtless the cause Of his error. He is
ambitious and energetic, and! forms his
plans on large scale, too, often, perhaps,
without counting the COST He buys a
large farm aud wants to be called a "large
farmer" without understanding or. oonsid-
erirg the true elements that constitute a
real farmer. He fancies the greatness of
that profession, as is too often the common
estimate, to be in proportion to the num-
Der of acres, not to say cultivated, but en-
braced within the boundaries Of his do
main. The fact is now being spread
abroad, that large farm does not make o
man either rich, contented or happy, but
on the contrary, the reverse of all these,
unless well titled, when his labor is reward
ed by ample crops and fair success in the
various departments in which he is ongag-
ed. No farmer can realize the full bene-
fits Of his profession without adopting a
! thorough system of culture. His success,
commensurate to his wishes, always depends
upon the manner in which he prepares his
grounds, plants his seed, and rears his
stock. Neither of these departments,
which may be considered the cardinal
ones of his profession, will take care of
themselves. The soil may be rich, but it
needs culture. His seed may be sown, but
it should be in due time, and always on
soil we'll prepared and of suitable quail
ty for the production Of the crop desired.
His stock must be constantly cared for
it derives its thrift from the SOIL and sends
again to that soil the sustcnauce it re-
quiros; but this is not done in loose or
hap-hazard way. The farmers care is re-
quired, and all his bettor judgment must
be exercised in keeping up this system of
reciprocal benefits that may be realized by
every intelligent and industrious farmer.
Thorough cultivation and systematic at
tention to all parts of his business is inds-
pensable to good degree of success The
very corner stone to the whole system of
farming, is to do what you do thoroughly.
nature will not be cheated, and oever gives
full returns to tho halfway work that is
practiced by vastly too many calling them
selves farmers. If the land has been
worn, the extent Of that exhaustion and
the food required, must be first considered.
When ascertained, the full measure Of
these r2quirments must be given, to bring
out full returns If tho farmer has but q
small stock, and consequently but small
amount of manure to replenish his land, it
is obvious that but small farm can
he supplied with it and good judgment at
once dictates that to cultivate properly a
large farm, artificial fertilizers must be
used if good crops ara obtained. And SO
with the labor, two men cannot suitably
till one hundred acres of land, when the
labor Of two men and perhaps fonr, might
be proftably employed on seventy five
acres.
This is the great error in farming. Two
men strive to do what four men can hardly
do, and thus thousands of acres arc run
over, half titled, and producing half crops.
The land is run over till worn out, sustain
ing year after year the unnatural tax, till
its energies are entirely exhausted and it
fails to yield even feeble crop, because its
life is worn out. Much of the soil in Vir-
ginia and other Southern States is type
ofthis. Thousands of acres are lying en-.
tirely useless and exhausted, and will ever
remain so, till the first elements of its
power are returned to it. The process i.
fast going on in many of the Western
States. The soil is treated like an mex
haustible mine; the tillers crying, give
give, give! till in few years it will have
nothing to give. The boast of the West is
large farms and large fields of grain; plow
sow and reap, is the business of the Yves
tern farmers, drawing out the very life Of
the soil, sending away in the heavy export.
that are constantly going onward, withou
returning to the soil the food it requires
to make it productive.
The light that is being spread abroad OF
this subject, is beginning to correct th
practice to some extent, but in most in
stances very little is returned to the soil t.
keep it alive, till after sew ,ral years of con
tinual cropping, it manifests signs of ex
haustion and ultimate barrenness. Wher
tillers of the soil understand their true in
terests, they will cultivate no more land
than they can do well. Fifty acres oil
land for tillage, brought to high state ol